1st Time Possible Fail Grow - 600W HPS

[Kriaze]

Alright! Thanks for the info. I was going to give the other two plants another two weeks before flushing but I may be best to start flushing for 2 weeks now. I was worried that the plants might go over their flowering time and be wasted or something but you may have just saved me from that. Thanks again for the great advice and I'll look forward to harvest in a couple of weeks. I can't see me getting too much as they don't seem to big colas like I see on here, but next time I'll go for broke and do things properly. All the best

 

[Kriaze]

BTW I've subbed to your LED grow and am really enjoying the read. Great journal

 

[KingJohnC]

My first few cannabis grows I struggled with many issues and difficulties to bring my plants to harvest and learned a great deal about cannabis plants. I learned how cannabis plants had different needs than the house plants, ornamental flowers and vegetables I had grown in past years and how to deal with many issues to grow high quality medical cannabis. Every cannabis grow is a learning experience where you may deal with issues and improve as a cannabis grower!

 

[KingJohnC]

BTW I've subbed to your LED grow and am really enjoying the read. Great journal

Thank you kindly!

 

[Kriaze]

Well I took your advice and chopped one of my plants today KingJohnC. I'm going to give the others two weeks of flush and then do the same. One thing I did notice is that when I was cutting and trimming is that there were new bud growths at certain points. Could I have given it longer to fatten up do you think, or should I leave the other two plants longer than two weeks? Anyway here's some pics of my first ever harvest I know it's not a great yield for a plant (biggest cola is around 8") but hey, I'll be smoking it in a couple of weeks so I'm happy. I tried some that I'd cut off a couple of weeks back, dried and cured for a week apiece, it was pretty good. Cerebral high and I was pretty chatty and philosophical (or talkin sh*te as the missus would put it lol). I think with the extra two weeks of growth it will be pretty damn good

Another quick thing that I'm wondering and will have to have a search for is, I know that leaving too many leaves on the plant will make it a harsher smoke and apparently give me a headache, but what happens if I take off every leaf? I could have quite happily sat there for another couple of hours plucking every single leaf individually. I know that it would affect the yield but realistically I'm after the quality rather than the quality. I had a long time at plucking a lot out, is this inadvisable? Thanks in advance for any responses and all the best

Here are my Plush Berry plants (3 of) in the other tent under a 300w CFL waiting to go into flowering after the other two LSD are finished with their flush. I'm hoping to make the switch from CFL veg to LED veg soon, need to save a few pennies though

 

[KingJohnC]

Congratulations on your harvest!

 

[KingJohnC]

When you do have buds with leaf damage that are yellowed or browned it is best to remove these portions of the leaves when you are trimming your buds for the smoothest quality smoke.

 

[Kriaze]

Thanks KingJohnC. I had noticed a few strays on my photographs. The lights are out now but I'll be sure to go catch them tomorrow. All the best

 

[KingJohnC]

When I harvest I use disposable vinyl gloves and when I harvest a plant I start by cutting the branches off 1 by 1. I take the branch and first strip off all the fan leaves. I then use a pair of Fiskars Micro Tip Pruning scissors and trim all the sugar leaves flush with the bud. I then take the trimmed branches and place them in my drying rack to dry for 5-7 days or until the buds just break off the stems. I then trim off the buds from the stems and place the buds into storage containers. I take the buds out of the storage containers and place into a large bowl for 10 minutes per day for 10 days.

My drying rack

For trimming I use Fiskars Softouch Micro-Tip Pruning Snip recommended by the arthritis society, they come with a lifetime replacement warranty. One of the handles broke on my last pair, I used the warranty claim on the website and Fiskars replaced them at no cost.

https://www2.fiskars.com Titanium Micro Tip Easy Action Scissors No.5



drying racks

2' Dry Rack w/ Zipper Openings - perfectgardens

 

[Kriaze]

Hello again. I've been in checking my two remaining plants since harvesting the first. I've noticed what looks to be some serious bud growth and am now considering cutting short the two weeks flush and feeding them instead. Would you recommend this or do you think I should continue with the flush and be thankful of what I can salvage? I have 10 days left of water only before I cut, or I can feed again. What do you all think?

At first I thought I was imagining it, but I went and took some photographs for comparison and the difference is pretty clear to see

 

[Kriaze]

I think the last picture is probably the clearest, and I'm well impressed with these LED's. Under HPS (heat problems for me) they were never this lively, just a shame they went as far downhill as they did.

 

[KingJohnC]

I harvest flush cannabis pants depending on the grow medium. I harvest flush my cannabis plants in Hydroponics for 4-7 days, soiless (peat moss and coco coir) for 7-10 days and soil for 10-14 days before harvest to ensure any nutrients have been flushed from the plant to allow the smoothest quality of smoke. I would not feed your cannabis plants nutrients if you will harvest in 10 days.

Here is a recipe for a home made Clearex Flushing Solution

I mixed up the Clearex Flushing Solution suggested by Goldengoose7

in a large pot I combined:
1 gallon of distilled water
240 grams of Dextrose (Used for Beer Making)
120 grams of Sucrose (White Table Sugar)
3 grams Sodium Benzoate (as a preservative)
10 drops of Green Food Coloring

the Clearex Flushing Solution was allowed to cool and returned to the 1 gallon container.

I will use 15 milliliters per gallon of this Clearex Flushing Solution during my final flushing.


Dextrose

Sucrose

Sodium Benzoate

the final Clearex Flushing Solution

 

[Kriaze]

Thanks for the tips there Kingjohnc. i see the need for sugars atm but do you think I should flush or feed?

 

[KingJohnC]

I would not feed your cannabis plants nutrients if you will harvest in 10 days.

 

[Kriaze]

I'm just debating on whether it would be better to continue feeding for a week or two rather than harvesting. What would you recommend looking at how the plants are please?

 

[Kriaze]

I should elaborate sorry. I mean I'm in no rush as this is just for me (greedy old fat fook that loves a weed lol). Would you continue to flush (I'll bear your sugar flush in mind) or would you refeed and give them a couple of weeks?

 

[Kriaze]

also just while we're chatting I see no need for the food colouring. Not unless it's bringing something nice to the party. If we're adding colours I'm going some of that purple, my fav colour =]

 

[KingJohnC]

Can you please take some close up trichome photographs of your plants so that we may judge the current maturity of the trichomes and determine when to harvest your cannabis plants?

The food coloring for the home made Clearex flushing solution is optional and only added to distinguish the mixture from other pre mixed solutions. In order to give your plants enough food color dyes in order to color change your plants it would make the cannabis plants fouled and unsmokable but may only make an interesting photograph.

 

[Kriaze]

I'm a photographer mate. I'll get a picture of every plant I ever grow one way or the other. it's nearly as challenging as growing it lol...Nah i lie. But dye seems silly to be adding to a grow. damn I'd be happy if I could just add the right things so they're all ok. The lights are out atm but I'll try and take some again tomorrow. These are the same batch as what I photographed last time. That last harvest is a nice smoke although a little bit cerebral for me, I like to get chonged. I haven't got the tools to take pictures atm but I try my best, soon I have that microscope coming. Looking up close though those trichomes are standing tall with loads of mushroom heads. let me see if I can crop a photo for now. I can't go in to my grow room and add light now though. I'll definitely whack some of the best I can manage up tomorrow. in the meantime let me see what I can do

I may be well wrong by adding feed, it's just that growth makes me want to =]

 

[Kriaze]

OK mate, this one is a rop. I'll crop more the next one but eventually the picture will degrade. I'm just wondering why there's what looks to be new growth. Maybe they're fattening up for harvest